Interactive gaming analysis systems and methods

ABSTRACT

An interactive gaming system is disclosed. The system comprises at least one sensor that conveys information to the system about the physical, intellectual, mental, emotional, psychological or other type of ability of a user. The system uses the information to assess the existence and extent of a disability, and then implements a change to an aspect of the gaming environment, thus optimizing the gaming experience for the game player by accounting for the game player&#39;s disabilities.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/638,343, filed on Apr. 25, 2012. U.S. Provisional Application No.61/638,343, and all other referenced extrinsic materials areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Where a definitionor use of a term in a reference that is incorporated by reference isinconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein,the definition of that term provided herein is deemed to be controlling.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention is in the area of gaming technologies, inparticular game aware accessories that improve a gaming experience for auser having one or more disabilities.

BACKGROUND

Computing devices have a number of uses, among the most popular beinguse in various games. The continued evolution of computing technology,including increased storage, faster processing times, and highlyrealistic displays, combined with high bandwidth networks have resultedin computers being able to provide highly realistic gaming experiencesfor users.

While game developers will often target products towards specificdemographic audiences, there are limitations to this approach. Forexample, games are typically tailored to appeal to a specific age,demographic, or gender. This approach requires the assumption that ingeneral, all users within the target demographic are of similar physicaland intellectual ability, in order for the game experience to berelatively consistent from one user to the next.

Not all users are created equal, and there will be physical,intellectual, and even psychological differences among specific usersthat will result in a different game experience for each user. Where thegame player or user is disabled, the gaming experience can besignificantly less enjoyable depending on the nature and extent of thedisability. With some disabilities, access to or perception of certaingame content may be impossible.

There have been some previous attempts by others to assess or diagnosedifferent types of disabilities. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,452 toWasowicz et al., titled “Diagnostic System and Method for PhonologicalAwareness, Phonological Processing, and Reading Skill Test, filed Jul.9, 1999, discusses the use of graphics based games to test a person'sphonological abilities. Similarly, U.S. Patent Application publication2004/0014021 to Suleiman title, “Apparatus and Method for EvaluatingSchool Readiness”, filed Jul. 17, 2002, discusses using computer-basedgames to evaluate whether a child is ready to begin school. Still,further, U.S. Patent Application publication 2006/0127871 to Graysontitled “Method and Apparatus for Teaching”, filed Feb. 10, 2006,discusses tracking a student's progress through interactive computerlessons that allow the student to be assessed for learning disabilitiesbased on those interactions.

Others have directed their efforts towards the development of gamesspecifically tailored for disabled persons. For example, U.S. Pat. No.5,474,295 to Demshuk titled “Game Apparatus for the Handicapped”, filedAug. 24, 1994, discusses a table game apparatus adapted for use by aperson having a physical or mental handicap. U.S. Patent Applicationpublication 2004/0212149 to Farmer titled “Social Skill Builder Game”,filed Apr. 24, 2004, discusses a board game adapted to develop andimprove behavior skills for children and adults with developmentaldisabilities. Similarly, U.S. Patent Application publication2008/0070682 to Woody titled “Systems and Methods for ProvidingEducation Games for Use by Young Children, and Digital Storage Mediumfor Storing the Educational Games Thereon”, filed Aug. 15, 2007,discusses providing a controller that can be grasped by a young child ora person with a disability. These references also contemplate a prioriconstructed games or game elements to make a game accessible to adisabled person.

Despite these efforts, even games designed for disabled persons as ademographic group suffer from the same limitations as games designed fornon-disabled players. Specifically, known games and gaming systems donot provide a way for the gaming system to interactively assessphysical, intellectual or psychological limitations of an individualuser, and then use that information to either tailor the gamingexperience for the user, or as a means of developing a suggested“playlist” of games that are suitable given that user's specificcharacteristics and/or limitations.

Thus, the above references fail to appreciate that a game designer,specifically a computer game designer, requires insight into thecharacteristics and limitations of individual users in order to design agame with the broadest appeal and utility to a group of users who mayhave widely varying abilities and disabilities. Similarly, there iscurrently no known system that permits a user to be able to provideinformation about their particular abilities or disabilities inreal-time in order to query a gaming system about which particular gamesmight be most appropriate or most enjoyable based on their personalcharacteristics.

These and all other extrinsic materials discussed herein areincorporated by reference in their entirety. Where a definition or useof a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary tothe definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that termprovided herein applies and the definition of that term in the referencedoes not apply.

Unless the context dictates the contrary, all ranges set forth hereinshould be interpreted as being inclusive of their endpoints, andopen-ended ranges should be interpreted to include commerciallypractical values. Similarly, all lists of values should be considered asinclusive of intermediate values unless the context indicates thecontrary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventive subject matter provides apparatus, systems and methods inwhich one can tailor a gaming system for use by a handicapped user inorder to optimize a gaming experience. In some embodiments the gamingsystem comprises one or more sensors that provide information about auser to the gaming system. These sensors may provide information aboutsensed conditions such as position in 3-D space, movement, accelerationand similar information about time and space. Sensors may be adapted toprovide means through which to analyze physical, sensory, intellectualand/or psychological abilities of a user as they play a computer game.

Sensors may be self-reporting with respect to sensed conditions, or mayinteract with accessory systems such as video detection systems that areconfigured to locate the position of a sensor in 3-D space and thenreport data corresponding to the sensed conditions to a suitablereceiver system such as a gaming analysis engine.

In some cases sensors may be temporarily affixed either to parts of theuser's body, or to clothing, headgear, footwear or other such wearableapparel. In some cases, the sensors may be integrated into items ofapparel worn by the user. For example, sensors can be located in shoes,gloves, hats, shirts, pants, headphones and the like in order to providetime and space information about virtually any point on the user's body.In another example, chemical sensors attached to a user's body canprovide information about a person's blood sugar, blood alcohol leveland other information that can be derived from measuring blood or sweat.

Data from the sensors can be transmitted to a gaming analysis engineadapted to receive and analyze the sensor data. The gaming analysisengine can receive the data from the sensors directly, or via the userinterface or the game system, and evaluate sensor data collected as theuser interacts with game or activity parameters. The gaming analysisengine can be configured to measure the ability of a user to respond tothe game or activity in a variety of ways, such as physically, mentally,emotionally, intellectually, physiologically, etc.

Using data received from the sensors, the physical, sensory,intellectual, emotional, psychological, and other abilities of the usercan be evaluated to indicate the existence and extent of one or moredisabilities. The results of such evaluation can then be used to tailorthe gaming experience through a game modification based on the existenceand extent of a user's disability, such that the user gains optimalenjoyment or benefit from the game or activity. The information may alsobe used to query a gaming system and access a recommendation engine thatis programmed to make suggestions to the user as to games or activitiesthat might be most enjoyable or beneficial based on the existence orextent of a user's current disability by querying a game database.

The system can also be configured to maintain a log of inputs from usersover times, such as from different times playing a game or engaging inan activity. Data can be maintained in a player database that can beaccessed by the gaming analysis engine. The data received over time canbe used to evaluate changes in user performance (improvement ordegradation). These changes in performance can be used to continuallyupdate an individualized player database that is designed to refinesuggestions of games or activities, or potentially to alert the user orhealth care professionals that performance is improving or declining,which in turn can be used in conjunction with traditional methods ofrecovery, therapy, rehabilitation and other treatments related to thedetermined disabilities.

Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventivesubject matter will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanyingdrawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a schematic of an interactive system for optimizing a gamingexperience.

FIG. 2 shows a reference database and a player database, and the datathat can be contained within each database.

FIG. 3 shows an example entry of a disability indicator within adisability database.

FIG. 4 is an example of deviation data set in the form of a sensordeviation data set.

FIG. 5 is an example of a reference data set representing a disability.

FIG. 6 is an example of a player disability profile.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method of modifying a game basedon a detected disability status.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be noted that while the following description is drawn to acomputer/server based gaming analysis engines, various alternativeconfigurations are also deemed suitable and may employ various computingdevices including servers, interfaces, systems, databases, agents,peers, engines, controllers, or other types of computing devicesoperating individually or collectively. One should appreciate the suchcomputing devices comprise a processor configured to execute softwareinstructions stored on a tangible, non-transitory computer readablestorage medium (e.g., hard drive, solid state drive, RAM, flash, ROM,etc.). The software instructions preferably configure the computingdevice to provide the roles, responsibilities, or other functionality asdiscussed below with respect to the disclosed apparatus. In especiallypreferred embodiments, the various servers, systems, databases, orinterfaces exchange data using standardized protocols or algorithms,possibly based on HTTP, HTTPS, AES, public-private key exchanges, webservice APIs, known financial transaction protocols, or other electronicinformation exchanging methods. Data exchanges preferably are conductedover a packet-switched network, the Internet, LAN, WAN, VPN, or othertype of packet switched network.

One should appreciate that the disclosed techniques provide manyadvantageous technical effects including the ability of a gaming systemto monitor and adapt to a user in real time, based on sensor-basedmeasurement of that user's various physical, intellectual andpsychological abilities. The system further provides the technicaleffect of tailoring the user's gaming experience based on the system'sevaluation of that user's relative abilities.

The following discussion provides many example embodiments of theinventive subject matter. Although each embodiment represents a singlecombination of inventive elements, the inventive subject matter isconsidered to include all possible combinations of the disclosedelements. Thus if one embodiment comprises elements A, B, and C, and asecond embodiment comprises elements B and D, then the inventive subjectmatter is also considered to include other remaining combinations of A,B, C, or D, even if not explicitly disclosed.

The inventive subject matter comprises an interactive system to enable auser or game player, and in particular a handicapped or disabled user orgame player, to interact with a computer-based gaming system, andthereby to optimize an individual's experience with a game or activity.

FIG. 1 provides an overview of the system of the present inventivesubject matter.

As shown in FIG. 1, an interactive sensor-based system can comprise oneor more sensors 10 communicatively coupled to a gaming analysis engine80. The system can include a game system 60 and can further include auser interface 30. Each of the game system 60 and the user interface 30can be communicatively coupled with the other components of the system.The connections between the components of the system can comprise localor long-range communication interfaces, and can comprise wireless orwired communication interfaces.

FIG. 1 provides examples of how sensors 10 can be communicativelycoupled with the gaming analysis engine 80. A system may have, at anyparticular time, sensors connected via one or more of thesealternatives. Sensors 10 can be connected directly to the gaminganalysis engine 80 or via one or more of the game system 60 and the userinterface 30. Optionally, one or more of sensors 10 can be integral tothe game system 60 or user interface 30. Each individual sensor 10 canuse one or more of these connection alternatives to connect to thegaming analysis 80.

The system can also include one or more of a reference database 40 and aplayer database 90, shown on FIG. 2.

The reference database 40 can be used to store reference data sets usedin the determination of a disability status. The reference database 40can be stored in a memory device accessible by the gaming analysisengine 80. The reference database 40 can be stored a memory containedwithin or external to the gaming analysis engine 80, the game system 60or the user interface 30.

The reference database 40 can store data include one or more ofreference sensor data 41, a disability database 42, and one or more gamemodifications 43.

The reference sensor data 41 contains reference information used indetermining how the received sensor data relates to a disability. Thereference sensor data 41 can contain reference sensor signatureattributes. The reference sensor data 41 can be data representingbaselines against which received sensor data is compared.

The disability database 42 is used to correlate received sensor datawith a disability. The disability database 42 can contain data entriesregarding the ascertainable disabilities (and can also include theirseverity levels), identified by disability indicators, and the sensordata required to determine the existence of a particular disability. Thedisability database 42 can also contain deviation ranges for eachdisability indicators, corresponding to a range of a deviation fromreference sensor data corresponding to the disability indicator.

The game modifications 43 include one or more game modifications to beimplemented in response to determining a disability status.

The system can include a player database 90. The player database 90 canbe stored in a memory device accessible by the gaming analysis engine 80or the game system 60. The memory device storing the player databasesystem 90 can be a memory contained within or external to the gaminganalysis engine 80, the game system 60 or the user interface 30. Theplayer database 40 can be a player disability database and include aplayer disability profile.

The player database 90 can include one or more of a player disabilityprofile 91 and player gaming history 92. The player disability profile91 can include data regarding prior sensor measurements and priordeterminations of a game player's disabilities via disability statusesand disability indicators. The player gaming history 92 can include aplayer's historical game playing data that is reflective of a player'sexperience or skill level with the gaming environment.

The reference database 40 and player database 90 can be integrated intoa single database. For example, the reference database 40 can be a partof the player database 90 or vice versa.

The sensors 10 are configured to generate sensor data related to a gameplayer's measurable parameters, characteristics and conditions during agame player's interaction with a gaming environment. The sensors 10communicate the sensor data to the gaming analysis engine 80. Examplesof sensors include accelerometers, heart rate and blood pressuresensors, respiration rate sensors, sound or light sensors, cameras,motion sensors, pressure sensors, player input sensors, galvanometers,magnetometers, piezoelectric sensors, Hall effect probes, air sensors,flow meters, chemical sensors, breathalyzers, electrocardiographysensors, spirometry sensors, sweat sensors, humidity sensors, magneticresonance imaging sensors, blood glucose detectors, or the like.

The sensors 10 can be sensors used for a game player's interaction withthe gaming environment. Examples of this type of sensor include sensorswithin a game controller that detect button presses from a user to causean in-game effect. Alternatively, the sensors 10 used to gather thesensor data can be sensors completely independent of, and that have nodirect interaction with, the gaming environment.

The sensors 10 can be sensors attached to the game player's body. Forexamples, sensors can include sensors that can be attached onto a user'sbody via mechanical fasteners such as clips, wrapped around a player'sbody parts, attached to a user's body via adhesives, and that can beswallowed or otherwise introduced into the body. The sensors 10 can besensors attached to or embedded within the game player's clothing. Forexample, sensors can be located in shoes, gloves, hats, shirts, pants,jewelry, headphones and the like in order to provide sensor data aboutvirtually any point on the user's body

The sensors 10 can be sensors specifically designed to measure or detecta game player's physical, sensory, intellectual, psychological,emotional, mental, developmental, cognitive, learning, motor, social orneurological abilities, such as sensors specifically designed to be usedin a hospital or medical setting. The sensor data received from thesesensors can reflect a measurement of specific parameters related to thephysical, sensory, intellectual, psychological, emotional, mental,learning, motor, cognitive, developmental, social or neurologicalconditions or abilities of the game player and the sensor data caninclude data, processing or formatting associated with the specializedsensor. The sensor data from this type of sensor can also include datarelated to one or more conclusions or decisions that the sensor can becapable of making on its own.

In addition to the measurement information representative of the sensedcondition or activity itself, the sensor data can also include metadata.The metadata can include data such as a sensor identifier, a sensor typeidentifier, sensor configuration data, timestamp information indicatinga specific time or a range of time when the sensor data was acquired, adata format identifier, encryption information, and the like.

The game system 60 can comprise a computing device configured to executegame programs, allowing the user to play video games. The user caninteract with game system 60 through the user interface 30, an interfaceof the game system 60 itself, or another suitable interface. The gamesystem 60 can be one or more of a gaming console, a handheld gamesystem, a tablet, a computer, a cellular phone, a coin-operated arcadegame or any other computing device configured to execute a game program.

The game system 60 can include a display monitor. The game system 60 caninclude audio-visual outputs that can be communicatively coupled to adisplay device, such as a television, allowing for the audio-visualpresentation of the executed game programs.

In an embodiment, the game system 60 can be a cloud-based or onlinegaming service located remotely from one or more of user interface 30,gaming analysis engine 80 and sensors 10 and connected to one or more ofuser interface 30, gaming analysis engine 80 and sensors 10 via along-range communication interface such as the Internet.

In an embodiment, the game system 60 can be an online gaminginfrastructure. In this embodiment, users can connect to the game system60 via user interface 30. The users can then use the game system 60 toaccess features such as online multiplayer gaming, game and systemupdates, game demos, game downloads, etc. Examples of online gaminginfrastructures include Xbox LIVE, from Microsoft Corporation ofRedmond, Wash.

The gaming analysis engine 80 is programmed to receive and processsensor data, and based on the received sensor data, evaluate theexistence and extent of a disability in a game player or user. Inresponse to determining the existence and extent of one or moredisabilities, the gaming analysis engine 80 can cause at least one ofthe game system 60 and the user interface 30 to implement one or moregame modifications that will modify the gaming environment, therebymaking the gaming environment more accessible and enjoyable to the userhaving the disabilities.

The gaming analysis engine 80 can comprise a stand-alone hardware devicehaving memory communicatively coupled to one or more processors. Thememory can store computer-readable instructions that are executed by theprocessor(s) to carry out functions related to the inventive subjectmatter. The gaming analysis engine 80 can further include one or morecommunication interfaces that enable the gaming analysis engine 80 toexchange data with other components within the system.

The gaming analysis engine 80 can comprise a dedicated hardwareprocessor programmed to carry out functions related to the inventivesubject matter, and can be contained within the game system 60, withinthe user interface 30 or within another computing device communicativelycoupled to the system.

The gaming analysis engine 80 can be a software module containingcomputer instructions that, when executed by one or more processors,cause the one or more processors to carry out functions related to theinventive subject matter. The software module can be stored in anon-transitory memory within one or more of the components within thesystem, or stored in memory external to the system such as in opticalmedia (e.g., compact discs, DVDs), removable flash storage devices,external hard drives, remote servers and the like. The instructions canbe carried out by one or more of the processors within one or morecomponents of the system. For example, the gaming analysis engine 80 canbe stored in the memory of the user interface 30 or the game system 60and carried out by one or more processors within the user interface 30or game system 60.

A user interface 30 is used by the user to interact with the game system60, such as for the purposes of playing a game. The user interface 30can detect user input and communicate the detected input to the gamesystem 60 and the gaming analysis engine 80. The user interface 30 canalso be used to interact with the gaming analysis engine 80. The userinterface 30 can also be used to relay information between one or moresensors 10, the game system 60 and the gaming analysis engine 80.Examples of user interface 30 include one or more of a game controller,a game console, a cell phone, a handheld game device, a computer, atablet, a keyboard, a mouse, an augmented reality interface, a virtualreality interface, a hands-free interface and a microphone.

In an embodiment, the user interface 30 can comprise one or more of thesensors 10. The user interface 30 can include the use of sensors totrack the movements of a controller in 3-D space. An example of thistype of interface is the interface used for the Wii game system byNintendo. The user interface can be camera-based, where the camera cantrack a player's movement or can track the movement of a piece ofhardware in 3-D space. Examples of this type of user interface includethe Kinect interface from Microsoft or the Playstation Move interfacefrom Sony.

The user interface 30 can include sensors 10 typically used to detectuser interaction as inputs for game play, such as sensors to detectbutton presses and movement of digital or analog sticks. The sensors 10can be analog or digital sensors and can include pressure sensors. Othersensors 10 within the user interface 30 can include accelerometers,touchpads, touchscreens, microphones that are typically used for gameplay interaction. The sensor measurements associated with user inputsrelated to game play can also be used by the gaming analysis engine forthe methods related to the present inventive subject matter.

The user interface 30 can include one or more communication interfacesallowing for the connection of the user interface 30 with one or moresensors 10. For example, a game controller can have a connection portallowing for the connection of a microphone headset that enables a userto communicate with other players during online sessions.

The user interface 30 can include a display monitor. The user interface30 can include audio-visual outputs that can be communicatively coupledto a display device, such as a television, allowing for the audio-visualpresentation of the executed game programs.

The gaming environment can include the game system 60 and the userinterface 30. The gaming environment can also include the computer gamethat is played via the game system 60 or user interface 30. The gamingenvironment can also include a display (e.g., a television, appliancedisplay, kiosk, projection system, etc.) connected to the game system 60or the user interface 30, used to display the visual aspects of thecurrent game. The gaming environment can also include the environment inwhich the game player interacts with one or more of the game system 60,the user interface 30 and one or more sensors 10. For example, thegaming environment can include the room in which the game player playsgames.

The gaming environment can further include one or more of the sensors 10and the gaming analysis engine 80. Alternatively, the gaming environmentcan be independent of one or more of the sensors 10 and the gaminganalysis engine 80.

A game player's disability status represents the existence and extent ofa game player's disabilities such that the gaming environment can bemodified in response to those disabilities. The disability status can bea listing of one or more disabilities that a game player has beendetermined to have based on the received sensor data. The disabilitystatus can also be data acting as an identifier or pointer to one ormore modifications corresponding to particular disabilities.

The disability status can be comprised by one or more disabilityindicators. The disability indicators can correspond to a particulardisability, and can also include a severity level of the particulardisability.

The disability indicator can also be an indicator of no disability. Thiscan be indicated by a designated disability indicator or can beindicated by a null value of a disability indicator.

The disability indicated by a disability indicator can include physical,sensory, intellectual, psychological, emotional, mental, developmental,cognitive, learning, motor, social or neurological disabilities. Thedisability can be a medically recognized diagnosable disability. Amedically recognized diagnosable disability includes disabilities thathave been officially recognized or categorized by governmental ormedical authorities. For example, a particular condition as meeting astatutory or regulatory definition of “legal blindness”.

The disability indicated by a disability indicator can be an indicatorof a temporary disability. A temporary disability can be a disabilitywhose effects are not permanent, where the game player makes a recoveryto a prior disability status. Examples of a temporary disability includefatigue, pregnancy, the influence of drugs, alcohol or medication,temporary illness (e.g., a cold, food poisoning, lethargy, etc.),chronic illness, allergic reactions, or a temporary injury (e.g., abroken arm, muscle pulls, etc.).

In an embodiment, the disability status can be determined by mapping asensor signature derived from the sensor data to a disability indicatorthat is indexed by sensor signature attributes.

In this embodiment, the sensor data can be used to derive a sensorsignature. The sensor signature can comprise one or more sensorsignature attributes. The sensor signature attributes can becharacteristics or parameters of the sensor data. Sensor signatureattributes can include image data, audio data, sensed range data, sensedmeasurement data, sampling duration data, sampling frequency data, andany other data related to the sensed condition or action. The sensorsignature attributes can also include metadata. The metadata can includedata such as timestamping data, a sensor identifier, a sensor typeidentifier, sensor configuration information and a data formatidentifier.

FIG. 3 shows an example entry 300 within a disability database. Thedisability database can correspond to the disability database 42 shownin FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the entry 300 includes a disabilityindicator 301 and one or more sensor signature attributes 302A-302N(collectively referred to as sensor signature attributes 302). The oneor more sensor signature attributes 302 are used to index the disabilityindicator 301 within the disability database.

Disability indicator 301 can be associated with sensor signatureattributes 302 of different sensors or sensor types. For example, sensorsignature attribute 302A may have been derived from sensor data receivedfrom an accelerometer and sensor attribute 302B may have been derivedfrom sensor data received from an audio sensor.

A particular sensor signature attribute can be associated with more thanone disability indicator, and thus be used to index more than onedisability indicator.

After deriving the sensor signature for received sensor data, the gaminganalysis engine 80 can perform a mapping of the sensor signature to adisability indicator by sensor signature attributes. The gaming analysisengine 80 can perform the mapping by matching or performing a lookup ofthe derived sensor signature within the sensor signature attributes. Thematching or lookup function returns one or more disability indicatorsindexed by the sensor signature attributes.

In some cases, a disability indicator can have one or more requiredsensor signature attributes among all of the sensor signature attributesused to index the disability indicator. In these cases, a disabilityindicator will not be returned if the sensor signature from the receivedsensor data does not contain the required sensor signature attributes,even if all other “non-required” sensor signature attributes arepresent. For example, if the sensor signature attributes 302A and 302Bare required sensor signature attributes for disability indicator 301,then the disability indicator 301 will not be returned if the derivedsignature of received sensor data does not contain both of the requiredsensor signature attributes 302A and 302B.

A disability indicator 301 can be representative of a particulardisability. The severity of the disability can be determined by ananalysis of how many of all possible sensor signature attributes 302 ofa disability indicator 301 are matched by the received sensor data. Ifrequired sensor signature attributes are present, the required sensorsignature attributes are used to confirm the existence of the disabilityand matching additional sensor signature attributes can then beindicative of an increasing severity of the disability.

A disability indicator 301 can represent both the disability and theseverity. A particular disability can be represented by a plurality ofdisability indicators, where each individual disability indicatorcorresponding to a degree or stage of severity. A particular set ofsensor signature attributes may be applicable to multiple levels ofseverity of a disability, and thus return multiple disability indicatorsfor the same disability, but of different severity levels. The gaminganalysis engine 80 can be programmed return only one of the disabilityindicators according to a pre-determined priority. For example, priorityrules can be configured to return the disability indicator for the mostsevere disability level, least severe disability level, etc.

A sensor signature attribute can also be indicative of a characteristicor symptom of a disability. The gaming analysis engine 80 can determinea disability by performing a clustering analysis of the sensor signatureattributes belonging to the sensor signature derived from the receivedsensor data. The identified clusters of sensor signature attributescorrespond to disability indicators.

In an embodiment, a disability indicator can be derived from the sensordata and one or more sets of reference data from reference database 40.The reference data used in deriving a disability indicator can be acombination or collection of various available reference data sets.

The gaming analysis engine 80 can conduct a comparison of receivedsensor data with one or more reference data sets. The comparison of thereceived sensor data and the reference data results in a differencecorresponding to a deviation of the received sensor data from thereference data. The deviation can be expressed as a percentage, or byvalues associated with the sensor data being analyzed. The gaminganalysis engine 80 can then use the calculated deviation to look up theapplicable disability indicator.

The reference data within the reference data sets includes datarepresenting pre-defined or measured historical baselines of one or moredata types associated with a game player's interactions with a gamingenvironment. A disability indicator can be indexed according to one ormore deviations from the reference data sets.

Reference data can represent sensor data that corresponds to a gameplayer that has no disabilities. This reference data can be generatedbased on aggregating actual sensor data gathered corresponding to one ormore players known to have no disabilities. This reference data canalternatively be generated according by using information established byrecognized organizations such as medical organizations, governmentalorganizations, professional organizations etc. For example, thereference data corresponding to a temperature sensor can be establishedaccording to what an established medical authority recognizes as theaverage body temperature of a healthy person having no disabilities.

Similarly, reference data can also represent sensor data correspondingto a game player having one or more known disabilities, with thereference data reflecting the limitations suffered by a game playerhaving a particular disability. Further, the reference data can includerepresentations of degrees or severity of a disability.

Reference data can represent sensor data corresponding to game playersof various skill levels. Players of different skill levels willtypically interact with and react to a gaming environment differently.For example, a novice player might become more nervous or excited whileplaying a game, have worse reaction times, or be more unfamiliar with agame controller than a more experienced player. The behaviors of anovice player can share similarities with the behaviors of a moreexperienced player having a disability. The ability to use referencedata representing matching the skill level of the game player reducesthe chances of a false determination of a disability.

Reference data can be historical data about the game player interactingwith the gaming environment. The game player's historical data can bedata stored within a player disability profile 600, described in furtherdetail below. Using a game player's historical data as reference datasets enables a gaming analysis engine 80 to accurately track of theevolution of a game player's disability over time. The historical gameplayer data used as reference data can be stored in reference database40 or player database 90.

One or more reference data sets within the reference database can beused as adjustment factors for the received sensor data or otherreference data sets. For example, a player's skill level or experiencewith a particular game can allow the player to anticipate situations inthe game. A game player anticipating a game situation enables the playerto react to the game situation faster than if the player were to besurprised by the situation. If sensor data is being gathered related toa game player's reaction time, the player's ability eliminate thesurprise element will result in sensor data that does not represent anaccurate measurement of the player's true ability to react. To adjustfor this, reference data from a player's profile that reflects theplayer's experience or skill with the game can be used to adjust thesensor data prior to the comparison with the sensor reference data sets,to “correct” for the player's ability to avoid the in-game surprise. Forexample, the adjustment factor can be a scaling factor in a functionusing at least a portion of the sensor data as input, where the outputis adjusted sensor data.

In an embodiment, the sensor data can be used to derive a sensorsignature having sensor signature attributes as discussed above. In thisembodiment, the reference data contains reference sensor signatureattributes. The disability indicators are indexed according todifferences corresponding to deviations from the reference sensorsignature attributes. The sensor signature attributes from the derivedsensor signature are compared to the reference signature attributes todetermine a deviation, which is then used to retrieve the correspondingdisability indicator via a lookup function.

In an embodiment, the reference database 40 can contain the entries forone or more sensors 10 that are determined to be connected andoperational by the gaming analysis engine 80 via the execution of adiagnostics process, and also contains the disability indicators thatcan be indexed from these sensors 10. The reference database 40 can alsoinclude entries for one or more sensors 10 that are applicable to theparticular gaming environment but that are not active or currentlyconnected. The reference data included in the reference database 40 fora particular system can be retrieved from a master reference databasecontaining all the possible sensors usable in all gaming environmentsand all the possible disabilities and their severity levels that can bedetermined from all of the possible sensor and sensor combinations.

The reference data sets contained in reference database 40 can befurther distilled into database views centered on a particular sensor ora particular disability.

The disability database 42 within the reference database 40 can includedata sets containing entries correlating disabilities with the sensordata necessary to determine their existence. The data sets can includedeviation data used to identify a disability indicator corresponding todeviations between received sensor data and reference data.

FIG. 4 provides an example of a deviation data set in the form of asensor deviation data set 400 that can be used in the determination ofone or more disability indicators 401 a-d, 402 a-c and 403 a-c. Thedeviation data of the deviation data set can be populated with datastored in the disability database 42 shown in FIG. 2.

The sensor deviation data set 400 can correspond to sensor data from aspecific sensor (i.e., a specific sensor unit of a specific make ormodel) or sensor data associated with a sensor type or sensor data type(e.g., sensors used for a specific type of measurement, such asthermometers, sensors whose data readings and output are standardized aspart of a widely used protocol, or sensors whose data readings andoutput are provided in a standardized unit of measurement).

The sensor deviation data set 400 can represent sensor data attributes.As described above, the sensor data attributes can represent commoncharacteristics of sensor data from sensors of different types.

The sensor deviation data set 400 can include entries for deviationranges in the column labeled “Deviation Range”. In FIG. 4, anillustrative example of ranges is provided in the form of percentageranges. However, the ranges can alternatively be ranges of valuesquantifying the deviation. The columns 401, 402 and 403 can representdisabilities, with the individual entries of the columns containing adisability indicator corresponding to a disability and severity. Thedisability indicators of columns 401, 402 and 403 are indexed accordingto deviation ranges. After determining a deviation of the receivedsensor data from the reference data, the gaming analysis engine 80 canidentify a disability indicator corresponding to the deviation bymapping the deviation to the deviation range that includes thedeviation.

The deviation ranges can be in positive or negative values. A negativepercentage deviation can be indicative of an improvement in a gameplayer's condition, reflecting a game player overcoming a disability viatreatment or rehabilitation Likewise, a negative deviation can beindicative of a game player overcoming a temporary disability, andreturning to a prior status of health.

The first row shown in FIG. 4 includes a range of 0%-10%. This first rowcan be a range representing a deviation returning no disability. Thiscan be represented in the form of a disability indicator such as 401 aor 403 a. Alternatively, the return of no disability can be in the formof a null value, illustrated in first row entry of column 402. Thedisability indicator 401 a can alternatively be a historical or pastdisability indicator determined previously. In this case, the deviationrange of 0%-10% returns a disability indicator 401 a that indicatesthere is no change in that aspect of the disability status from the lasttime the determination was performed.

FIG. 4 also shows a row that represents a maximum deviation (here, “Over100%”). Deviations beyond this maximum do not affect the determinationof a disability. This maximum deviation can represent a “worst case” or“absolute case”, where the disability is at its most severe stage.

In some cases, the deviation required to establish the maximum level ofseverity can be different from one disability to another. As shown inFIG. 4, disability indicator 403 c is repeated because a deviation ofmore than 20% from the reference data is indicative of the maximumseverity for the disability of column 403. Therefore, any deviation ofmore than 20% will return the maximum severity indicator 403 c.

FIG. 5 provides an example of a reference data set representing adisability 501. The data set 501 can include entries for disabilityindicators 501 a-501 n representing the severity of the disability. Thecolumns 502-504 represent the reference sensor data required todetermine the different severity levels of the disability 501.

The gaming analysis engine 80 calculates deviations based on receivedsensor data and reference sensor data 502, 503 and 504. The calculateddeviations can be mapped to the deviation ranges 502 a-n, 503 a-n and504 a-n, respectively, to determine the corresponding disabilityindicator 501 a-501 n.

The determination of the existence and severity of a disability may notrequire all of the sensor data 502-504 listed in a particular referencedata set. In these cases, the sensor data types required to ascertain adisability can be prioritized according to importance. The sensor data502-504 can be assigned weights according to the importance of thesensor type in the determination of the disability. Likewise, thedetermination of a particular disability can require sensor data fromone or more data types, without which the determination is not possible.If sensor data from one of these data types is missing or unavailable(e.g., if the sensor is non-functional), the disability indicator forthat disability will not be returned.

In some cases, a lack of sensor readings or sensor data from afunctional sensor of a required sensor type can be indicative of anextreme severity of a particular disability (i.e., a sensor registeredno readings because the game player lacks the body part to perform anaction detectable by the sensor). In these cases, a determination of theexistence of the disability (i.e., 100% disability of a particular bodypart or body function) can be made regardless of any other availablesensor data, and the disability indicator indicating the maximumseverity of the disability will be returned.

FIG. 6 provides an example of a player disability profile 600. Theplayer disability profile 600 corresponds to the player disabilityprofile 91 shown on FIG. 2.

The player disability profile 600 can include one or more sets ofplayer-specific historical data regarding a player's potentialdisability. The player disability profile 600 can include a disabilitystatus 601, sensor data history 602, player gaming history 603 andplayer-specific modifications 604.

The disability status 601 can represent a “current” disability statusand be updated to reflect the most recently received sensor data. Thedisability status 601 can also have historical data indicating a gameplayer's past disability statuses. The disability status 601 can alsoinclude current and past disability indicators that comprise current andpast disability statuses 601, respectively.

The player gaming history 603 can include information reflective of thegame player's skill and experience with the gaming environment such astime logged with the gaming environment, time logged with individualgames, completion indicators related to individual games, unlockedawards, win-loss records, and a score or other indicator of a gameplayer's experience or skill. Other data reflective of a user's pastbehaviors can also be included in a game player's disability status,such as indicators of favorite games or genres, purchase or downloadhistory, list of friends or organizations within the gaming environmentthat the user frequents or interacts with, etc.

The information within the player's disability profile can be used in avariety of ways. As described above, the information within the player'sdisability profile can be used as reference data. The disability status601 or the past sensor readings 602 can be used as reference data setsfor comparison with a newly-collected set of sensor data. Comparingnewly-acquired sensor data to that game player's historical data allowsfor accurate determinations of the game player's evolving disabilitystatus.

For a game player whose past sensor readings 602 consistently result ina determination of “no disability”, but whose sensor readings 602consistently deviate from the center or mean of the reference data, thepast sensor readings 602 can provide an adjusted baseline thatcorrespond to “normal” readings for that specific player. This can allowfor the adjustment of the ranges that would result in the determinationof a disability for that specific player. This can also assist in errordetection by preventing modifications to the gaming environments due tofalse positives.

The use of data from a player disability profile 600 can also assist inthe determination of a temporary disability. For example, a game playerhaving an established disability status 601 interacts with a gamingenvironment. During this interaction, sensor data is received and fromthe data, a new disability status is determined. This sensor data isthen added to the historical sensor data 603 of a game player'sdisability profile. In future interactions with the gaming environment,sensor data will be received and analyzed accordingly. If the analysisof the future sensor data results in the disability status returning tothe previously established status 601 (i.e. the sensor data resulting inthe new disability status is a statistical outlier given the prior andsubsequent sets of received sensor data), it can be an indication thatthe new disability status was a temporary disability status. Because thesensor data and analysis thereof can be performed as often as desired ornecessary, the existence of extremely short temporary disabilities andrecovery therefrom can be ascertained (such as drowsiness/fatigue).Additionally, the existence of statistically outlying sensor dataoccurring periodically at regular intervals can assist in determining aparticular type of temporary disability. For example, if sensor dataindicating the same new disability occurs after 1:00 AM every night oroccurs every Friday evening, the disability can be determined to be thetemporary disability of fatigue due to being up too late at night orresulting from the end of a work week.

For a game player having a previously determined disability indicated bydisability status 601, the use of historical sensor readings 603 ordisability status 601 can assist in tracking the evolution of theplayer's disability, including changes in severity of a disability orthe emergence of related disabilities. This can assist the treatment ofthe player's condition by providing measured data reflecting the changesin a game player over time.

The player disability profile can be included into traditional gameplayer profiles (such as those provided by the Xbox LIVE service).Alternatively, the player disability profile can be separate from thetraditional gamer profile and configured to draw data from thetraditional gamer profile. As another alternative, the player disabilityprofile can include the traditional gamer profile.

Upon the determination of a disability status, the gaming analysisengine 80 can cause a modification or change of the gaming environment.The modification can be implemented in the form of a game modification43.

A game modification 43 can be a change to one or more aspects of thegaming environment. The game modification 43 can comprise an instructionor command set sent by the gaming analysis engine 80 to at least one ofthe user interface 30 and game system 60, and executed by at least oneof the user interface 30 and the game system 60. The execution of thegame modification causes at least one of the user interface 30 and thegame system 60 to implement changes to their functions, thus modifyingthe gaming environment. The game modification 43 can also includeinstructions to retrieve additional content that is implemented as partof the modification. Alternatively, the game modification 43 can includethe additional content to be implemented along with the instruction set.

A game modification 43 can be indexed by or otherwise associated withone or more disability statuses or one or more disability indicators.

The game modification 43 can include one or more of a change to thecurrent game being played, a change to the configuration of the userinterface 30 or a change to the configuration of the game system 60.These changes can improve the game-playing experience of the user havingthe disability by reducing the effect that the game player's disabilityhas on the interaction with the gaming environment.

The modification 43 can be an instruction to create, destroy, activate,deactivate, update, increase, reduce, adjust, change over time, changeaccording to trends, convert, transform, delete, insert, overlay, write,or overwrite.

Changes to the current game being played can include adjusting game playfactors such as the game's difficulty (in one or more of single-playerand multi-player games), the game play speed, the game's appearance(e.g., adding or enlarging text or other graphics, changing the colorsto account for color-blindness, providing visual cues to match audio,etc.), the game's audio (e.g., prioritizing the output of certain audioover others by volume or by removing lower-priority audio, etc.), themapping of inputs to game play functions (e.g., changing the mapping ofgame play functions to the button layout of the controller to change thefunction of the buttons, allowing a player to hold down a particularbutton instead of pressing it repeatedly, etc.), providing A.I.assistance for certain game play functions or in certain gamesituations, providing in-game advantages, an output modality conversion(e.g., converting audio output into visual output, converting visualoutput into audio output, etc.) and the like.

The game modification 43 as applied to the current game can be in theform of content within the game program adapted for use by a game playerdepending on the existence and extent of one or more disabilities. Thecontent can be included with the game program or added to the gameprogram via patches or updates. The content can include sets ofpre-defined changes, such as pre-defined configurations or profiles thatcorrespond to particular disabilities.

Changes to the configuration of the game system 60 can include changessuch as those described above for a current game, applied to the aspectsof the game system 60 outside of the current game. For example, changesimplemented to the current game can also be applied to navigating systemmenus outside of games and for performing non-game tasks. In addition,the use of system-wide adaptations allow for the application of thechanges to multiple games without requiring the disability determinationprocess to be carried out from scratch for each game played.

Changes to the configuration of the game system 60 can include adjustingaccess permissions for features of the game system. Examples includeadjusting access permissions for features such as online play (e.g.,whether the game player can access an online gaming environment at all,which games or genres of games the player may play online, the level ofprivacy or visibility to other players within the online environment,limitations on who the player may interact with, etc.), content that canbe accessed by the player using game system 60 (e.g., genres of content,types of contents such as games, music, videos, etc., specific games,age-specific categories of content, etc.) and time duration of gamingsessions.

Changes to the configuration of the user interface 30 can includeautomatically adjusting the sensitivity of the user interface's inputs(analog and digital buttons and joysticks, accelerometers, motiondetection, etc.), changing the intensity of or disabling vibrationfunctions, and adjusting or disabling sensory feedback functions (e.g.,speakers, display screens, etc.), or otherwise change how the gameplayer interacts with the user interface 30 or how the user interface 30interacts with game system 60.

Changes to the gaming environment can include the disabling or poweringdown one or more aspects of the gaming environment. For example, if itis determined that a game player suffers from a disability whose effectsor symptoms can be triggered or aggravated by the game player'sinteractions with the gaming environment (e.g, epilepsy, anxietydisorders, etc.), the game modification can cause one or more of thetermination of the current game, the disabling or powering off of theuser interface 30 and the disabling or powering off of the game system60.

Changes to the gaming environment can also include an adjustment of thedisplay device (such as the television) used for the visual and audiooutput of a game. The changes to the display device can include changingfunctions or settings related to audio functions (e.g., volume, mute,output channels, surround sound settings, stereo settings, equalizersettings, secondary audio channels, etc.) and video functions (e.g.,colors, contrast, resolution, aspect ratio, refresh rate, brightness,source selection, picture-in-picture, closed captioning, etc.).

In addition to improving the gaming experience for a person having adisability, the game modification 43 can also change the gamingenvironment to account for a game player's disabilities for otherpurposes, such as power conservation or processing and networkingefficiency. For example, if a game player is deaf, the modification maydisable the audio output functions of the game system 60 or the userinterface 30. This can conserve battery life for a battery-operated userinterface 30 by eliminating the need to activate a speaker function ofuser interface 30. Likewise, the processing bandwidth typicallyallocated to processing audio functions can be allocated to otherfunctions and, in a networked environment, the network bandwidthrequired by the gaming environment is reduced by eliminating thetransmission of data associated with audio functions.

The game modification 43 can include contacting health or emergencypersonnel based on the determined disability. Emergency personnel can becontacted via communication interfaces of at least one of the gaminganalysis engine 80, the game system 60 or user interface 30.

As described above, the disability status of a game player can indicatea temporary disability. In the case of a temporary disability, the gameenvironment may be adjusted differently from a permanent disability, ornot be adjusted at all. For example, modifying a game because a gameplayer is tired or intoxicated may be considered unfair to other playersof the game, and thus the gaming analysis engine does not implement amodification for this type of disability.

The game modification 43 can include a modification of the gamingenvironment to implement changes related to therapeutic orrehabilitation activity. For example, if a game requires a user togenerate certain motions using a user interface 30 having motiondetection as an input for interaction with the game, the gamemodification can modify one or more of the motions required by the gameto a motion that is performed as part of a therapy or rehabilitationprogram by a patient recovering from an injury or other type ofdisability.

A game modification 43 can comprise accessing a recommendation engineconfigured to recommend a particular game based on the existence andextent of a disability. The particular game can be a game that issimilar to the current game, but that requires a lesser modification.The particular game can also be a game having features specificallydesigned for game players having the disability.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart depicting an exemplary execution of method ofmodifying a game based on a detected disability status.

In step 701, the gaming analysis engine 80 receives sensor data capturedby one or more of sensor(s) 10.

In step 702, the gaming analysis engine 80 can determine if one or morepossible disabilities exist, and if so, the extent of the possibledisabilities by determining a disability status. The determination ofthe disability status can be performed according to one of the methodsdescribed above. In this example, the disability status is performed bya comparison of the received sensor data to reference sensor dataretrieved from reference sensor database 41. The comparison results indeviation values for each of the sets of sensor data received. thegaming analysis engine 80 maps each the calculated deviation values tothe corresponding deviation value range in which each of the valuesfalls. This mapping returns a set of disability indicators, which aregrouped together to return a disability status.

In step 703, the gaming analysis engine 80, at least partially inresponse to or as a function of the determined disability status, causesthe implementation of a game modification. The game modification to beimplemented can be retrieved by identifiers of the disability status.

At step 704, the game modification is implemented by one or more of thegame system 60 and the user interface 30 and the gaming environment isadjusted accordingly. Either prior to or after the implementation of thegame modification, the newly-determined disability status, as well asthe disability indicators and received sensor data can be saved to thereference database 40 and player database 90 as appropriate to properlyupdate the stored data.

The method can be conducted as often as necessary to properly determinethe existence and severity of one or more disabilities and to be able totrack the evolution of the disability over time. For example, theprocess can be carried out upon a player's initiating an interactionwith the gaming environment. The process can then be carried outperiodically after that or upon certain triggering conditions occurring(e.g., the game player starting to play a new game). In another example,the process can be carried out as a calibration step related to thegaming environment. Alternatively, the process can be initially carriedout as a series of instructions to specifically determine an initialdisability status. After the initial determination, the process can berepeated during the game player's interactions with the gamingenvironment.

A frequent repetition of the method can also be used to determine theexistence of a temporary disability. A sizeable change in the disabilitystatus of a game player during the same gaming session can be indicativeof a temporary disability, such as the game player becoming fatiguedover time.

The gaming analysis engine 80 can also include verification andvalidation functions, to ensure accuracy of the determination of adisability and of the subsequent implementation of the appropriatemodification in response to the disability. The verification andvalidation functions can include comparing the determined disabilitywith a game player's medical history to ensure that the disabilitydetermination is reasonable given the game player's medical history. Theverification can be performed by the gaming analysis engine 80, byrequesting and receiving a game player's medical history informationfrom a provider. Alternatively, the verification can be performed by aseparate processing system (such as one belonging to a medicalprovider), with confirmation sent to the gaming analysis engine 80 afterthe determination.

The following are examples of uses of the systems and methods of thepresent inventive subject matter. The examples are illustrative, and arenot intended to limit the scope of the inventive subject matter, or tobe interpreted as limiting the inventive subject matter to only theseuses. Likewise, and unless otherwise expressly indicated, the languageused in the examples is to assist in the understanding of the examplesand is not to be interpreted as providing definitions or lexicography.

In an example, a game player begins to play a game on a gaming consoleusing the game controller supplied with the game console. For regulargameplay, the game requires a player to interact with the gamecontroller's buttons and control sticks. As the game player is playingthe game, the gaming analysis engine collects data from the controller'ssensors associated with the buttons and control sticks. The collecteddata reveals that that the sensors associated with buttons and controlstick on a particular side of the game controller are very rarelyactivated when they should be activated during the playing of theparticular game (or not activated at all), whereas buttons and controlstick on the other side of the game controller are activated within anacceptable range for regular gameplay. Based on this data, the gaminganalysis engine determines that the game player has a disabilityassociated with one hand that prevents the player to interact with theparticular side of the controller. In order to allow the game player tobe able to better interact with the game, the gaming analysis engine canrespond by interacting with the game system to change the controllerconfiguration used in interacting with the game system or the game. Thechange of the controller configuration can be a mapping of the inputsassociated with the unusable buttons and control stick to the buttonsand control stick the user can access with their abled hand. This allowsthe game player to be able to control the game entirely with one hand.Additionally, the gaming analysis engine can reduce the amount ofvibration feedback provided by the controller (or disable the vibrationfeedback altogether), to reduce the risk that a user with only one abledhand will lose their grip on the controller and drop it.

In an example, the system is used to track a user's disability overtime. A game player first interacts with the system, which determinesthat the game player has a disability of a relatively low severitylevel. Over time, the game player accesses the gaming environment toplay games and the gaming analysis engine uses data gathered fromsensors during each gaming session to conduct new determinations of adisability, in part by comparing the new data with the data of previousgaming sessions. As the game player's disability gets more severe, thegaming analysis engine can adjust the modifications required to allowthe user to interact with the gaming environment and a similar level.The newly determined status is saved into the player's historicalrecords, and can be provided to health care providers responsible forhelping the game player with the treatments of the disability. Having anaccumulated user history available to a health care provider allows forthe gathering of data without requiring the game player to report to amedical facility as frequently for tests. Also, the game player'streatment is optimized because the game player is providing measurementdata in a way that is transparent to the game player, by engaging in anactivity that the game player would otherwise engage in for recreation.

In an example, a game player is playing a game. Over time, the systemrecognizes that the game player's in-game performance is decreasing, andthe sensor data indicates that the game player is showing delayedreaction times to in-game situations. The system realizes that the gameplayer has been playing for several hours, and that the current time isabout 2:00 AM. The system retrieves the player's disability profile andnotices that the game player does not have a recognized disability. Thedetermination is made that the game player is tired, and because thedisability is merely exhaustion and that it is temporary, the systemdoes not implement any modification to any aspect of the gamingenvironment. Alternatively, in view that the player is experiencing somedifficultly, the system can modify the game to store or save the gamestate more frequently. The advantage of such an approach allows theplayer to access a more recent restore point without the frustration ofpossibly repeated losses.

It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many moremodifications besides those already described are possible withoutdeparting from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subjectmatter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the scope of theappended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification andthe claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possiblemanner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises”and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements,components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that thereferenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized,or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are notexpressly referenced. Where the specification claims refers to at leastone of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C . . . andN, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from thegroup, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.

What is claimed is:
 1. An interactive system for optimizing a gamingexperience, the system comprising: a gaming analysis engine programmedto: receive sensor data from at least one sensor, wherein the sensordata comprises data captured by the at least one sensor and associatedwith a game player's interactions with a gaming environment whileplaying a computer game within the gaming environment; determine atleast one disability status of the game player as a function of thesensor data, each of the at least one disability status being indicativeof a respective disability; and cause a modification of the gamingenvironment as a function of the disability status, the modificationimplemented while the player is playing the computer game to improve thegame player's experience by reducing the effect of the disability on thegame player's interactions with the gaming environment, the modificationcomprising at least one of: an adjustment to an input detectionsensitivity of a user interface; and a deactivation of at least oneinput of the user interface.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein thegaming analysis engine is further programmed to determine the at leastone disability status by mapping at least one sensor signature derivedfrom the sensor data to at least one disability indicator indexed bysensor signature attributes.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the atleast one disability status comprises at least one disability indicatorderived from the sensor data and from at least one reference data set.4. The system of claim 3, wherein the gaming analysis engine is furtherprogrammed to determine the at least one disability status by generatingat least one disability indicator as a function of a difference betweenthe sensor data and the at least one reference data set associated withthe at least one disability indicator.
 5. The system of claim 3, whereinthe at least one disability indicator comprises an indicator of nodisability.
 6. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least onedisability indicator comprises at least one indicator of at least onedisability.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least onedisability comprises at least one of a physical disability, a sensorydisability, a motor disability, a cognitive disability, a developmentaldisability, a social disorder, an intellectual disability, an emotionaldisability, a learning disability, a mental disability, and apsychological disability.
 8. The system of claim 6, wherein the at leastone disability comprises at least one temporary disability.
 9. Thesystem of claim 6, wherein the at least one disability comprises atleast one recognized diagnosable disability.
 10. The system of claim 3,wherein the at least one disability indicator comprises at least oneindicator of at least one disability and of a severity level of the atleast one disability.
 11. The system of claim 3, wherein the at leastone reference data set is based on at least one of: sensor datacorresponding to a reference game player having no disabilities; sensordata corresponding to a reference game player having at least onedisability; sensor data corresponding to a reference game player havingat least one disability of at least one severity level; sensor datarepresentative of a plurality of reference game player skill levels;historical game player data representative of the game player's skilllevel; and previously captured sensor data associated with the gameplayer.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor data comprisesgame interface input data.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein themodification of the gaming environment comprises a modification to agame system executing the computer game.
 14. The system of claim 13,wherein the modification of the game system comprises at least one of:an adjustment to at least one aspect of the visual output of the gamesystem; an adjustment to at least one aspect of the audio output of thegame system; a modification to at least one recognized commandassociated with at least one user input; and an output modalityconversion.
 15. The system of claim 1, wherein the modification of thegaming environment comprises a modification of the computer game. 16.The system of claim 15, wherein the modification of the computer gamecomprises at least one of: an adjustment to the difficulty of thecomputer game; a change to the visual appearance of at least one aspectof the computer game; a change to the audio of at least one aspect ofthe computer game; a modification to an interpretation of player inputsby the computer game; and an activation of an assistance feature of thecomputer game; an addition or subtraction of a game feature to thecomputer game; an adjustment to the game speed of the computer game; andan output modality conversion.
 17. The system of 1, wherein themodification comprises a therapeutic modification corresponding to thedisability status.
 18. The system of claim 1, wherein the modificationof the user interface further comprises: an adjustment to a feedbackfeature of the user interface.
 19. The system of claim 1, wherein thesensor data comprises data from at least one of: an image sensor, avideo sensor, an audio sensor, a motion sensor, a temperature sensor, aninput detection sensor, a reaction sensor, an accelerometer, a pressuresensor, a light sensor, a sound sensor, a biometric sensor, agalvanometer, a magnetometer, a piezoelectric sensor, a Hall effectprobe, an air sensor, a flow meter, a chemical sensor, a breathalyzer,an electrocardiography sensor, a spirometry sensor, a sweat sensor, ahumidity sensor, a magnetic resonance imaging sensor, a blood pressuresensor, a heart rate sensor, a respiration rate sensor, and a bloodglucose sensor.